Agricultural Affairs.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XL, Issue 7848, 27 May 1904, Page 3

Agricultural Affairs.

A movement is on foot in Ashburton to establish a fund, from which to indemnify butchers for losses sustained owing tio stock being condemned at the abattoir. The African Standard startes that arrangements will shortly bo made to attach refrigeratpr cars to the Uganda railway trains, so that vegetables, fruit, and meat can be carried to the coast in good condition. At present there arc no such facilities for the carriage of perishable produce. It is proposed to erect a combined canning and. freezing works at Eosario, Argentina, with a capacity of 200 head of cattle and 2000 sheep per day. A New 'Fork syndicate has iiflered, to find half the necessary capital, and it is anticipated other influential people will find the rest. It is, also, reported that it has teen finally decided to establish a canning ami .extract of meat company at Quequen.

The rabbit season has evened in the Southland district, but the price offered being only 4d a pair, rabfciters are not anxious to start trapping. If arrangements are not soon made farmers will be forced to commence poisoning. The Bruce County Council is getting good results from ijlie smallbird trap which it has recently taken over. A small quantity of wheat was put in ij'he trap on Saturday morning, and at night there were over two dozen birds caught. As showing the prpgrcss made 5a the Poverty Bay district, it is stated that land about three miles from Gisborne that "thirteen years agp was purchased for £3 12s per acre . has lately been sold at ,£S6 per acre; land about three-quarters of a mile from Gisborne Oost Office that twelve years ago was purchased for £20 per acre 3ias been sold at £COO per acre.

Another product which will add to the list of articles to be prepared for export is that ,of asparagus. A very large acreage has been laid down in the Hawke's Bay district .for the coming season, and the products when matured will be sent to the canning factozy to be made ready for export sale. Farming work at "Waimate (writes the correspondent of the Oamaru Mail) is being carried pn under highly favourable circumstances. Turnips will be good, ami grass promises to be good for the winter months. The continued dry weather since light frosts at night set in, is telling on the lighter soils and mpre elevated lands, where it appears rain is desirable. Farmers in the district have been holding back the salo of grain, hoping for better prices ; but as there is no prospect of improvement in prices they have recently begun to accept the current rates for wheat—2s Sd and 2s 9d for good Tuscan and velvet samples. There is little or no business doingin oats in this district.

A . special correspondent of the Sydney' Daily Telegraph, writing from South Africa in regard to the frozen meat market there, says :— "' The Argentine's misfortune at pre- j sent (foot a,n;d mouth disleafeo) is i Australia's chance, and even1 prices ( as they exist in Australia How must ' leave a large margin o f jprofit," ihis (says the Australian Meat Trades Journal) is nonsense. As a matter of fact, foot and mouth tfisease in Argentina has been Australia s misfortune, as it stopped the large export trade in live, cattle with Great Britain, and drove the Argentine into the freezing- trade. Were it not for foot and mouth disease in Argentina, there would now be a large trade in live stock between that country and the United Kingdom, and Australia would have a far less formidable competitor in the frozen meat industry. The weather of .late in Victoria (according to the Australasian) has been such as to cause agriculturists serious disquietude. During a por- | tion of almost every day the fI-v becomes overcast, and appearances indicate that a heavy downpour is imminent, but the clouds pass awsv, and while a few points of rain way be registere'd here and there, the precipitation that is needed in the cereal'-prowing "districts is still * jir.ting. Ploughing- has been a work of considerable difficulty for >viral weeks on account of the Hard crust that has been formed on the m.-rface; in- flict-, It fakes nearly two'ie:vns now to accomplish what ons team, is capable of when the soil is in good condition. This means that a much smaller urea is being1 prepared for cropping than >.ould otherwise have been tho case, and while there is every desire on the part of producers to cultivate extensively their intentions in this direction are being blocked by adverse weather. The sowing of cereal crops in the itoi*th'er,'n • districts I ought' to be finishod by the end of May, but Unless favourable weathor sots in almost immediately there is likely to bo a lot of late hoeing done, and that will probably mean litflil. yii-lds at harvest time.